1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to feedscrew systems, such as those used to separate and orient bottles or other articles in preparation for labelling, and it relates more particularly to a new and improved feedscrew system featuring interchangeable feedscrew assemblies.
2. Background Information Some feedscrew systems control the movement of articles along a conveyor in order to maintain the spacing desired for subsequent processing. In the case of label application, for example, the articles move along the conveyor into the entrance end of a pair of parallel feedscrews that are located above the conveyor in a position ahead of a label applicator. The feedscrews may be about eighteen to forty-eight inches long and four inches in diameter, and as they rotate they capture the articles in the valleys of the feedscrew threads so that the articles leave the exit end of the feedscrews with spacing that conforms to the threads, just right for the label applicator.
However, there are certain problems with existing feedscrew systems that need to be overcome, such as the common need to change feed characteristics several times daily according to the particular articles being labelled. A typical days production may, for example, include filling, capping, and labelling several different article sizes at different rates, such as 64-ounce liquid detergent bottles at a rate of 50 bottles/minute, 32-ounce bottles at 100/minute, and 16-ounce bottles at 200/minute. Each of those bottle sizes requires different feed characteristics (e.g., the article size the feedscrews accommodate as well as the resulting article spacing and speed) so that the feedscrews may have to be replaced frequently.
That task can be complicated by the need to change the feedscrew rotational speed according to the feedscrew pitch length (i.e., the distance an article travels in one revolution of the feedscrews). In other words, the speed at which the articles leave the exit end of the feedscrews should match the conveyor speed. As a result, it may become necessary in the case of a given conveyor speed to change feedscrew rotational speed--slower for a longer feedscrew pitch length and faster for a shorter pitch length.
But existing systems may employ a somewhat complicated feedscrew drive arrangement requiring that gears, sprockets, and/or belts be changed in order to change feedscrew rotational speed. As a result, the task of replacing feedscrews can be somewhat involved and time consuming and even require the services of a line mechanic rather than being something the system operator can do. Consequently, it is desirable to have some way to alleviate the foregoing concerns.